Archive for the ‘Hot Buttered Rum’ Category

Look who finally decided to blow into town? It’s Old Man Winter in all his glory, causing a curmudgeonly ruckus with low temperatures and even lower wind chill factors. At times like these we need to refocus on the little things that can bring joy, such as a delightful hot cocktail on a snowy winter’s day. A favorite among these is Hot Buttered Rum.

Butter and hot drinks is a tradition that dates back to the days of Henry VIII, when buttered beer or ale was recommended as a remedy for hoarseness. Where and when spirits entered the equation is unclear, and by the pre-Prohibition golden age of cocktails, most imbibers eschewed this delightful buttery treat for Hot Scotch. A few still swore by it – as we continue to today.

Hot Buttered Rum is even celebrated with its own national holiday, January 17. We’re not sure who declared it, but it certainly gives us something to look forward to on such cold, dark days.

This recipe is a favorite of our pal Adam Lantheaume, proprietor of The Boston Shaker in Davis Square. He can probably hook you up with an appropriate mug from which to sip such a libation, too.

Recent ruminations from LUPEC Boston, as originally published in this week’s Dig.

by Pink Lady

This time of year occasionally makes the ladies of LUPEC a little sad as the cold winter settles in without the parties and festivities of the holiday season to look forward to. At times like these we need to refocus on the little things, like delightful hot cocktails on a snowy winter’s day. A favorite among these is Hot Buttered Rum.

Butter + hot drinks is a tradition that dates back to the days of Henry the VIII, when buttered beer or ale was recommended as a remedy for hoarseness. Where and when spirits entered the equation is unclear, and by the pre-Prohibition Golden Age of cocktails, most imbibers eschewed this delightful buttery treat for Hot Scotch. A few still swore by it as we continue to today.

Hot Buttered Rum is even celebrated with it’s own National Holiday, January 17. We’re not sure who declared it but it certainly gives us something to look forward to on such cold, dark days. This recipe is a favorite of our pal Adam Lantheaume, proprietor of The Boston Shaker in Davis Square.

In a preheated coffee mug, combine 2 heaping tablespoons of batter with 1 1/2 ounces of rum. Top with boiling water and stir well to mix. Serve with a spoon.

Hot Buttered Rum Batter:

1 lb light brown sugar

1/2 lb unsalted butter (softened)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat together softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and spices until well combined. Refrigerate in an airtight reusable container for up to a month, or place in the freezer until ready to use.

If you can, make the batter in advance so the spices have an opportunity to get to know each other. Be sure to remove batter from refrigerator at least 6 hours prior to serving to allow it to soften.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by The Boston Shaker store at GRAND yesterday to say hello and sample a little Hot Buttered Rum!

The smiling faces of our guests made us feel pretty certain the drink was a hit. If you loved it so much you’d like to recreate the experience at home, here’s the recipe, which is a favorite of mixologist Tony Abou Ganim. Hot Buttered Rum is also LUPEC’s chosen Endangered Cocktail of the Month, so check back later in the week for more discussion of rum in general, and variations on the rum-with-hot-water-and-stuff cocktail theme.

HOT BUTTERED RUM “BATTER”

1 lb light brown sugar

1⁄2 lb unsalted butter (softened)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl beat together softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and spices until well combined. Refrigerate in an airtight reusable container for up to a month, or place in your freezer until ready to use.

to make HOT BUTTERED RUM

In a pre-heated coffee mug combine 2 heaping tablespoons batter with 1 1⁄2 oz. Mount Gay Eclipse Rum. Top with boiling water and stir well to mix. Serve with a spoon.

Hint: It is best to make the batter in advance so the spices have an opportunity to mingle.

Be sure to remove batter from refrigerator at least 6 hours prior to serving to allow it to soften.

We used Mount Gay Eclipse and Mount Gay XO in alternating incarnations and found both drinks to be delicious. As you might expect, the XO version is richer, stronger and more complex. Since the bottle retails at a considerably higher price point than it’s younger sibling, you may be more apt to sip this product than water it down and butter it up. Your choice, but if you do, you can expect little bit of winter bliss.

If you checked out this week’s Dig column, you know we are hot for Hot Toddy’s this week. This is for several reasons:

1. The weather has been sucking.

2. Some of us have been battling colds and still believe the toddy, when made with brandy or a peat-y scotch whisky, to be actual medicine.

3. Hot Toddy is the chosen cocktail moniker of one of our newest members! Welcome to the Lady Lush club, girl!

We also mentioned in this week’s column that the Skin, the Sling, and the Sangaree are cousins of the Toddy (which could be taken hot or cold back in the day.) Such names! In a nutshell, here’s what makes each drink, and what makes them a little different (as explained in great, enlightening detail in David Wondrich’s IMBIBE):

The basic Toddy recipe, as given in David Wondrich’s IMBIBE, was believed to be of Scotch descent and was quite simple: 1 teaspoon sugar, 3-4 oz water, 2 oz spirits, stirred with a spoon. Writes Wondrich, the toddy “is a simple drink in the same way a tripod is a simple device: Remove one leg and it cannot stand, set it up properly and it will hold the whole weight of the world.”

The Whisky Skin is little more than a Hot Toddy + a strip of lemon peel, minus the sugar and is believed to be of Irish origin: 2 oz whiskey, 1 piece of lemon peel, fill the glass half full with boiling water. Bostonians also called this drink a “Columbia Skin.”

The Sling is little more than a strong, cold Toddy with nutmeg: 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 oz water, 2 oz spirits, a lump of ice, topped with fresh grated nutmeg. In the early- to mid-1800s, the Gin Sling was the drink to have, imbibed by all, and recommended for consumption morning, noon, and night.

The Sangaree derives from the Spanish term Sangria, and is little more than a cold Toddy made with strong wine: 1.5 oz port wine, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, fill tumbler 2/3 with ice, shake well and top with grated nutmeg.

So go forth and make copious amounts of delicious drinks this holiday season, wherever it is that you end up. Because no matter how dismal things might seem when you open Grandma’s liquor cabinet and find a bunch of dusty bottles staring back at you, the moral of the story is: some booze in a glass with a little water and some spice and is probably going to taste pretty damn good.

In a goblet glass, combine the dark and light rums with the syrup. Add the hot water and stir to mix. Add the butter, stir a couple of times to start to melt it, and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

HOLIDAY COMPOUND BUTTER

The yield here is huge – scale/adjust accordingly*** depending on how many of these you want to drink.

Soften 1 lb unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground allspice, .5 tsp cloves, and .25 cup dark brown sugar. Mix well to thoroughly combine. Using a sheet of wax paper, form the butter mixture into a log or rectangle – your choice – and place in the refrigerator to set. When the butter is firm you can slice it into individual serving pats of .5 tablespoon apiece, or just cut up as needed to serve. Either way let the butter soften and warm up before serving.

***I have the vague sense that you could add some amount of baking powder, egg, flour and vanilla to the leftovers and make some sort of cookies. Maybe something like these?